To Be Sold: Virginia and the American Slave TradeThis groundbreaking exhibition explores the pivotal role that Richmond played in the domestic slave trade. Curated by University of Virginia professor Maurie McInnis, To Be Sold draws from her recent book, Waiting to Be Sold: Abolitionist Art and the American Slave Trade, and is anchored by a series of paintings and engravings by Eyre Crowe, a British artist who witnessed the slave trade as he traveled across the United States in 1853. This internal trade accounted for the largest forced migration of people in the United States, moving as many as two thirds of a million people from the Upper South to the Cotton South. Virginia was the largest mass exporter of enslaved people through the Richmond market, making the trade the most important economic activity in antebellum Virginia. This exhibition is not merely a story of numbers and economic impact, but also one that focuses on individuals and the impact that the trade had on enslaved people. To view other programs and exhibitions related to Richmond's Journey from the end of slavery and Civil War to today visit http://www.nps.gov/rich/150th1865.htm.

Spoils of War, Symbols of Reunion to Showcase Items "Liberated" in Richmond during the Last Days of the Civil WarIn April 1865, after four years at the heart of the Civil War, Richmond—the capital of the Confederacy—finally fell. The Confederate government evacuated and Union army units—including United States Colored Troops—entered the city and arrived at the Capitol. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, the Library of Virginia will offer a temporary exhibition, Spoils of War, Symbols of Reunion, April 1–18, featuring a selection of rare archival materials that Union soldiers plundered from the State Capitol’s archives during the chaotic days following the fall of Richmond to federal forces...

2015 Virginia Women in History Program Honors Eight Outstanding WomenThe first African American woman to become a certified public accountant in Virginia, the first woman to preside over the House of Delegates’ powerful budge t-writing committee, and an African American poet who uses language to raise awareness of social issues are among eight Virginia women recognized by the Library of Virginia as part of its Virginia Women in History program...

Primary Sources Semiannual Report of Newly Processed Collections
July – December 2012Welcome to the latest issue of the Library of Virginia’s semiannual report Primary
Sources. Here you will find a listing of the latest collections processed, microfilmed, or
digitized by the Library. Since 1999, the Library has annually received General Assembly
support for archival positions in order “to relieve the 54-year backlog in processing
significant archival, special, and other historical collections.”

Featured Events

BOOK LAUNCH BY TED MARIS-WOLF
Family Bonds: Free Blacks and Re-enslavement Law in Antebellum VirginiaBetween 1854 and 1864, more than a hundred free African Americans in Virginia proposed to enslave themselves and, in some cases, their children. Author Ted Maris-Wolf, Interim Vice President of Research and Historical Interpretation and Abby and George O'Neill Director of the John D. Rockefeller Jr Library at Colonial Williamsburg, explains this phenomenon as a response to state legislation that forced free African Americans to make a terrible choice: leave enslaved loved ones behind for freedom elsewhere or seek a way to remain in their communities, even by renouncing legal freedom. Maris-Wolf paints an intimate portrait of these people whose lives, liberty, and use of Virginia law offer new understandings of race and place in the upper South. A book signing follows the talk.

The magazine of the Library of Virginia
Our quarterly magazine describes and illustrates the holdings and happenings at the Library of Virginia. Discover fascinating items from the collections as well as events, exhibitions, educational programs, and opportunities to become more involved. More.

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